I gave just the amount of effort a person must to appease a loved one and show a polite interest. He persisted though, and a couple of anniversaries later he even surprised me with my very own DSLR camera.

Over the years I’ve slowly fallen in love with photography. I started out taking pictures of our kids. Then I took pictures of our cats, the laundry, the kitchen sink. It’s no longer just “his thing.” It’s my thing, and it’s our thing!

With two little boys, a construction site is often the subject matter.

This week in the car, I realized that not only has photography become a hobby for me and a business for us, it’s changed the way I see the world.

I have become so much more aware of the beauty around me.

I more frequently enjoy the numerous and amazing shapes of the clouds as I drive, and I notice the cool composition of the toys scattered across the living room floor.

I’ve gotten to know our little town better as I wandered its streets and stopped to capture the details that inspire me. As I drive past those spots in my daily routine, I remember stopping to enjoy them, and it makes me like it here just a little more.

I’ve never thought of myself as an artist, but it turns out that I am, and photography is my art. It’s something I create to express the beauty of life as I see it.